Jairzinho Rozenstruik: Another heavy hitter
Jairzinho Rozenstruik is set to face Junior Dos Santos this weekend. Rozenstruik, who goes by his ring name “Bigi Boy,” is a feared competitor in the heavyweight division. Rozenstruik’s last outing came against Francis Ngannou, but the outing was quickly ended when Ngannou connected early in the first round.
That knockout took place at UFC 249, in the UFCs comeback event following their long layoff due to the Coronavirus. At the time, it was the first sporting event to return to action, and it is more than likely that it was the first MMA event for many fans.
However, it is important to note that Rozestruik’s resume is far more impressive than those twenty seconds would lead you to believe. This is true despite a short time in the UFC.
A challenge like no other
Fight Fans know that for Rozenstruik, that the match up with Ngannou was a gamble. Francis Ngannou was at the time on a streak of three consecutive first round knockouts. Since 2015, the vast majority of Ngannou’s fights have ended by knockout, with two notable exceptions. One is current champion Stipe Miocic and the other Derrick Lewis (record holder for knockouts in the heavyweight division). Needless to say, calling out Francis Ngannou for a fight is not the safest thing to do.
It was clear that should Rozenstruik emerge a winner from this it would catapult him to the highest levels of the heavy weight division, perhaps even poising him for a run at the title. It was also clear that the winner of the fight would likely be the fighter who landed the first punch.
There is no shame in getting knocked out by Ngannou.
A stellar run
Prior to the Ngannou fight, Rozenstruik faced veteran Alistair Overeem. Just as it looked like Overeem would walk away with the win, Rozenstruik connected with a Hail Mary knockout.
Prior to that, Rozenstruik earned two quick succession first round knockouts against Allen Crowder and Andrei Arlovski. Combine this run, with a stellar kickboxing record of 76-8-1, and fans will see why Rozenstruik is likely to end a number of matches by knockout.
